Welcome to Gleanings of Grace, a compilation of sovereign grace articles.
I collected bit by bit numerous articles by various authors and compiled them together (in no particular order). My desire is that He may be glorified. My thought was to make more Christ centered articles easily accessible to friends and others. My prayer is to set before brethren reflections that exhort, comfort, challenge, or even rebuke; and that His sheep not yet in His fold may hear His call.
As God plants these seeds, may it please Him that we may follow and gather and partake of His grace. I pray that we may come in all humilty and that God blinds us to ignorance and presses in our hearts that which is truth.
He Is God
When you hear contemporary preachers talking about what God is “trying to do,” or what He “wants to do” and “would do” if people would but cooperate; often accompanied with a plea to men and women: “Won’t you let God” do this or that, it is important that you understand that they are not talking about the God of the Bible, the true and living God. They are talking about a different god, a god of their own imagination, a god of their own making. They are idolators! The God of the Bible is described and set forth as One who does what He pleases, only what He pleases, and always what He pleases (Psalm 15:2-3; 135:5-6). HE IS GOD! “What His soul desireth, even that He doeth” (Job 23:13). From Genesis 1:1 throughout the whole of the Inspired Volume, the Holy Bible, GOD is set forth as the only true and living God, the Almighty One, absolutely sovereign, independent and free. “Working ALL THINGS after the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11). “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36) “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” - Revelation 19:6
- Pastor Maurice Montgomery
IGNORANCE LEADS TO ERROR
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God” – Matthew 22:29
Our blessed Lord answers the question of the Sadducees about the resurrection by telling them their problem. The problem is not with Christ and the truth of the resurrection, it is with the sinner. Here our Lord declares to us the root cause of all error and unbelief, it is ignorance of the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. These two truths are inseparable, there is no way of knowing and understanding the power of God apart from the revelation of Holy Scripture (Rom. 15:4; John 5:39; 20:31), nor is there any way of knowing and understanding the Holy Scriptures apart form the power of God revealing them unto us (John 16:13-15; I Corinthians 2:9-14). – Pastor Tom Harding
True Doctrine
A doctrine is not true because I believe it or because you believe it; it is true only if God says it! I do not ask you whether you believe what I preach; perhaps you do not. But I ask you to search the Scriptures and determine whether these things be so. I am not afraid to submit my belief in God’s immutable sovereignty, man’s total fall and ruin, God’s elective grace. Christ’s effectual atonement, the Spirit’s INIVINCIBLE CALL, and the perseverance of the sheep TO THE WORD OF GOD! - Pastor Henry Mahan
SOVEREIGNTY BELONGS TO GOD
The sovereignty of God is absolute. To acknowledge this truth is at once to acknowledge that God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass; that nothing else can come to pass; that predestination is a fact; that God does rule in the kingdoms of men; that all human ties, bonds and relationships are divinely appointed and formed; that salvation rests solely, fully and only in God’s election; that salvation is by God’s grace and His grace alone; and that no part of man’s salvation is of himself either in origin or execution. Where men get the idea that man’s will is the all-determining factor or moving cause of his salvation is hard to see. Certainly they do not get it from the Bible. – Pastor Scott Richardson
HUSBANDS AND WIVES
It is not difficult to understand why natural men and women come to dislike one another, why their so-called love turns to hate, and why couples divorce one another and subject their children to so much turmoil and trial. These people do not know God and do not have the love of God for others in their hearts.
This, however, is not the way of Christ. It is a denial of the Gospel and a contradiction of the teaching of Scripture. When a married couple who profess to be true believers cannot live together in love and peace, cannot fulfill the vows they made to one another before God, cannot sacrifice pride and self for the good of their children and the testimony of the Gospel, they are telling the world that God’s grace is not sufficient, that the blood of Christ cannot overcome the world and the flesh, that He that is in us is not greater than he who is in the world and that the claim of Scripture to make us “new creatures” in Christ is not true (II Cor. 5:17).
Husbands, remember the Scriptural injunction to “love your wives” and your children (Ephes ians 5:25). Do not provoke them or treat them selfishly. Give yourselves and your family in the love of God, no matter how difficult the way may become. What is required of husbands (and what truly believing husbands will want to do) is to love their wives “even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). This is going a long way, right to the end, and with no giving up!
Wives, love, respect, and obey your husbands. This is the clear teaching of Scripture (Ephesians 5:22). Make a clean, pleasant home for him, your children, and your guests. Be a homemaker, a companion, and a helpmate. Paul said, “Teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:4-5).
The marriage road may not always be smooth. The images conjured up in the youthful mind of marriage “bliss for ever and ever” may soon fade. Those who have been on the road for a long time know that marriage is a reflection (however faint) of the relationship between Christ and His church. He gave His life for her. They will work on it and seek to glorify God in their relationship. – Pastor Henry Mahan
